Thicker Than Blood
by Nephrite Eyes
Summary: A rainy night leads Ryou to seek shelter from the world in a nightclub. But despite his best efforts to stay out of trouble, he ends up fighting battles that aren't his own. In fact, trouble finds him, disguised as one called Seto Kaiba.


Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. Then again, you all knew that, ne? But I do own the plot to this fic, so you can't steal it.  
  
A/N: There's too much sap out there. Time to bring in the icy winds of hatred to freeze that WAFF to death. Mwahahaha...(This is the result of too much ice-cream+not enough sleep)  
  
Warnings: AU, angst, vampirism(wait, this one's different! This one has a plot!), angst, violence, angst, swearing, angst, implied attempted suicide, angst, implied rape, and angst. Such a happy little ficcie, isn't it? Though most will be in play only in forthcoming chapters..  
  
  
  
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Ryou ran through the oppressing winter rain, completely lost, soaked, exhausted, and scared. He paused under a streetlight, which cast its dull yellowish glow upon him, even through the torrential rains, and surveyed his surrounding through the blanket of water pouring down on him. All the shops, all the stores, all the shelters, were all closed. Shutting him out, leaving him to fend for himself against night's cruel, crushing jaws.  
  
But a solitary neon 'open' sign flickered through the rain, and Ryou thanked whatever higher force that might be out there for its compassion. He ran for the beacon and opened the door to a pulsing nightclub. He was thrown in by an angry gust of wind, and the door slammed loudly behind him, almost sounding ominous.  
  
Ryou stared at his new surroundings, shivering. The club was alive with bodies. Bodies screaming, bodies jumping, bodies writhing wildly to the dj's beats. Glowing neon strobe lights sent flashes of pastel blue, day- glow green, rose-petal pink, and sickly yellow streaming over the faces of the hundreds of people that packed the over-crowded building. Everyone had collars or dark lipstick or eyes so heavily lined with kohl that it seemed to deaden the reflections of the lights in their eyes. All around Ryou, the smell of liquor, leather, and sweat mingled, making his nostrils flare. It overwhelmed his senses.  
  
People leered at Ryou, casting him glances that made him feel distinctly at ill ease. He began making his way through the living mass of warm bodies, aiming to tuck himself into a deserted corner somewhere in the back of the club, somewhere where he wouldn't be seen, until the rain let up. Or the club closed. Whichever came first.  
  
Being bumped and shoved along, Ryou ran into various people. He apologized profusely to all of them, trying to get out of starting any sort of fight for fear of being thrown out. Or worse. He accidentally was pushed towards a duet of two boys that looked around his age. They were dancing quite intimately, and Ryou guessed that they were probably a couple.  
  
They both looked at him oddly when he disturbed their dancing. Their glances didn't look angry or annoyed or shocked, or even lecherous. Just curious. Then one of the boys brought Ryou close to him, wrapping his arms tightly around Ryou's slim torso. The boy winked at Ryou playfully and began a slow seductive dance with Ryou, who struggled to get away. "Care to join us?" The boy asked Ryou lightly, having to yell over the din. In normal light, the boy probably would have had blond hair, and rather dark skin. But the strobe lights of the club distorted his colour, turning him neon and eerie.  
  
The other boy glared darkly at Ryou through what might have been silver bangs, though Ryou couldn't really be sure. It was quite obvious to him that the boy wasn't too pleased about having his dance interrupted, and even more displeased by having his dancing partner disregard him for Ryou. The boy had long, sharp eyes that were heavily lashed and rather dark, though Ryou was fairly sure they were natural.  
  
He mouthed something to the other boy, and the other nodded back, smiling delightedly. He turned back to Ryou, still smiling, and pressed himself against Ryou further. Ryou's wet clothes allowed him to feel every bit of the boy's slightly muscled physique, and he suppressed a shudder at the warmth the boy presented him with.  
  
"Care to come out back with us, kid?" The boy whispered into Ryou's ear, his voice silky and innocent. "We'll show you a good time.." He promised, his eyes half-lidded while he slowly moved his hands to Ryou's hips. He took the chance to run and tore himself away from the boy's grip, streaming through the crowd. Mocking laughter followed him.  
  
Ryou shoved his way through the last few people and practically fell into a corner. It was empty and warm, and gave Ryou a full view of the club. Bold, drunken visitors made spectacles of themselves by doing erotic things on poles positioned strategically throughout the bar, being cheered on by rowdy customers and excited hopefuls. Laughter and weeping mixed together into a terrible serenade that emanated from the bar region itself, the result of jokes, pranks, and the mourning of lost lovers. Ryou vaguely noticed that most of the people in the club were young men or boys.  
  
Ryou sighed and let the building's heating system warm his body as he sunk to the floor, leaning heavily against the corner, wanting to disappear. Here, he would wait it out.  
  
//~*~*~*~*~*~//  
  
His eyes roamed the dance floor out of habit more than desire, and he slowly sipped his margarita. He promptly proceeded to spit out the impure liquor, and slid the glass and its contents back towards the bartender in distaste. That was the fifth drugged drink he'd received that evening. Was it even possible to get a good buzz nowadays?  
  
He stepped from the bar down to the dance floor, super-sharp eyes searching out anyone that looked good. He saw a few that were rather pretty, but none of them intrigued him. They were all so shallow, so devoid of individuality. If he chose them, he'd probably get ill from the bitterness. It was getting harder and harder to find a good drink here.  
  
Stepping through the crowds, still searching with his eyes, he added all his other senses to the hunt. He picked up the scent of many people. They were all bitter and hot, and it nauseated him terribly. All except one. Somewhere in the mass of writhing bodies was a different scent, completely unique. It was mild and sweet and filled with substance. Being. Uniqueness. He gravitated towards it, searching now more with his sixth sense than anything else.  
  
He scanned for the sweet one's mind. It was hard to find, veiled not only by the mass of other minds bouncing around it, but by willingness for secrecy. Whoever it belonged to, they wanted to be left alone. Too bad that one almost never gets what they want. Beneath the veil, he sensed sorrow and pain. He felt despair and savaged self-esteem and fear. He felt dreams and wishes and a hope that it would all end soon. He licked his lips. This would be a feast, indeed.  
  
//~*~*~*~*~*~//  
  
Ryou had long since taken to standing, leaning against the wall heavily. He'd found that sitting made more people approach him, and made him look quite weak. That was obviously not the way to seem around here. He'd declined twelve offers of various suggestive or obscene activities in the last ten minutes, and somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he began considering that perhaps he'd better leave.  
  
Throughout his time in the corner, he'd been highly on his guard. The two boys he'd run into earlier kept on showing up, eyeing Ryou as a lion would eye its prey before a kill. Ryou would never catch more than a glimpse of shocking silver or deep violet eyes, but it disturbed him, none the less. Each time he spotted them, they seemed just a little closer than the last.  
  
Ryou shook his head for the fourth time in as many minutes, trying to shake out the last few drops of rain from his hair. He leaned back against the wall, brushing matted strands out of his face. It was going to be a long night.  
  
//~*~*~*~*~*~//  
  
An alarm sounded inside his head, and he whipped around to face the direction he was feeling. As there was in every other part of the crowd, people danced and laughed and made out, shaking the floor and turning the room into one living mass. But through all that, he spotted a pale face. So pale was the visage that under the black lights of the club, the skin turned an eerie blue.  
  
He smiled as the feeling hit him. The pale boy was the one he'd felt. The sweet one.  
  
He pushed easily through the crowd, scattering people without effort. More people took their place not even seconds later, but a path was still cleared.  
  
Deep chocolate eyes glanced up from the floor and met his own with a feeling of wariness. He smiled to himself. Here was a creature truly down and out. The boy, no older than sixteen, looked underfed, tired, weak, and yet somehow innocent. Hopeful. It struck something deep down in his ageless heart, and his gaze softened. He could not feed on this sweet boy.  
  
Approaching the slim figure, he raised the boy's face with a gloved hand, almost inspecting him. The boy's face was a picture of angelic innocence, and he smiled despite himself. He would choose this boy.  
  
//~*~*~*~*~*~//  
  
Ryou stayed purposefully still as the other boy studied him. The boy was bigger than him, though about as thin, but looked very powerful. Ryou had the feeling he couldn't fend hi off if he tried, so he didn't bother. He felt a leather-clad hand stroke his cheek, and he shivered as blood rose to his face. Damn him and his sensitivity to touch. Ryou rebuked himself and took a step back, away from the other boy, who stared at him, as though making a decision.  
  
A smile broke over the boy's face, and he bowed elegantly to Ryou, offering Ryou a dance, as though the silver-haired boy was a renaissance girl at a ball. He looked up at the stunned Ryou and parted his lips in a grin. Ryou couldn't help but notice the taller boy's teeth. They seemed odd, somehow. Pointed. It was probably just the light, he told himself, reasoning the shock away.  
  
The boy still offered his open hand to Ryou. Reluctantly, almost as if it was something he had to do but wasn't quite sure if it was the _right_ thing to do, Ryou placed his hand on top of the other's. The gloved hand clasped his gently yet firmly, and the boy smiled again. "I'm Seto. What's your name, little one?  
  
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Short chapter, ne? Ah well, it's only the prologue, after all. It will get better, I promise you.  
  
I'd appreciate a review, even if it's a flame. ^^  
  
Review!!!!!!!! 


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